Does your total knowledge of our military come from reading Tom Clancy novels or watching NCIS and JAG reruns?

No worries... you can still serve those who serve us by doing a first class job of helping them relocate to your area or sell their property.

Do not worry that you are not a retired colonel...my observation is that folks in the service really don't care whether or not you were in the military before you entered the real estate business.

They just want you to do your best at what you donow...help them buy the best home at the best price and terms or sell their existing property as fast as you can with the highest possible return with no headaches....the same things that civilian clients want.

The only across the board differences that we have noticed between our civilian clients and those in uniform are....positive differences.

- Military folks tend to be more open and forthcoming about what they want

- They do not take months to make a decision

The reasons are pretty obvious. Military communications are designed to be very clear so that there are no misinterpretations.This practice rolls over into a soldier's private life...He will tell you what he wants, when he needs it and will tend to do much of the online searching himself...sending you a list of properties to evaluate.

Also, military folks don't freak at the prospect of a move...partly because they tend to live lean and mobile without 5 trucks of stuff to schlepp around the world and because they are very familiar with the whole process.

Odds are, if your client is a ten year veteran, she has already moved more frequently than the average human will in a life time. She's used to handling the details that get most folks wrapped around the axle.

Service personnel train to evaluate options and make decisions....the exact traits that you wish all your clients had....plus they do not have the luxury of spending months figuring out their housing options. What more could you want in a client? They come pre-trained and they are in a hurry!

Also, you do not need to know things like rank and pay grade in order to serve the military...but you may have a bit more confidence if you do. Here are a few sites that you can use as reference material.

If you are watching NCIS and Gibbs says; " You're living pretty large for an E3, Johnson"E3is not Johnson's rank...it his pay grade as an Enlisted man...hence the E. There are also O for Officer and W for Warrant officer.

If your client says something like: "I get back from TDY Thursday morning and you can pick me up at the main gate after I finish PT at 1300." You can look up the acronyms she used so you know what is happening in her life: Military terminology.

The other enjoyable thing about helping folks in the service...their stories are much more entertaining than the average cubicle dweller.

Why pay more and get less when selling your home? Jan and Steve Bachman of RE/MAX Gateway use professional photographers, create interactive photo floor plans, print full color brochures, and make an individual property website for your listing that goes out to 40+ public real estate search sites including Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow etc.

We also create a custom photo tour that is sent to other agents and prospective buyers.